THE OPÉRA-COMIQUE AFFAIR

The Council of State rejects Mr. Gheusi's appeal

The Council of State yesterday rejected the appeal lodged by Mr. Gheusi against the decree of Mr. Laffere who, in October 1918, being acting Minister of Fine Arts, had withdrawn from the plaintiff the co-direction of the Opera - Comedy that he exercised with the Isola brothers.

This affair remained under study for five years and one is somewhat surprised that it took so long for the Council of State to take a decision which is based solely on the fact that the Minister has everything power to do as it pleases.

No reproach is, in fact, to Mr. Gheusi, except that he did not get along with the Isola brothers. Mr. Lafferre who was on very good terms with these gentlemen, who were also supported by MM. Clemenceau and Mandel, therefore took advantage of a certain article of the specifications which gives him all the powers to land Mr. Gheusi while he was on tour with part of the troop of the Salle Favart.

The article in question says in particular this: "If, by personal acts and due to circumstances which the Minister reserves the right to assess, the directors have ceased to deserve the confidence of the administration..."

You see how simple it is. Thanks to these few words, the Minister can do as he pleases, and Mr. Lafferre has shown this to Mr. Gheusi. The Council of State, for its part. bowed to the article in question and dismissed the former co-director of the Opéra-Comique, declaring that the minister had not exceeded his rights.

Obviously he did not go beyond them, since he had them all. However, such an interpretation of the specifications constitutes a great danger for the directors of subsidized theaters and deprives them of any guarantee. M. Gheusi, whom we met yesterday, told us quite rightly: "There is therefore now only one director; yesterday's decision restores the most absolute feudal rights to his benefit." »

If the Minister exercised his discretionary power only in the theatres!...